Max Weber and the Korean Work Ethic: Ethnic origin data can undercut and/or reinforce stereotypes

By Jack Jedwab,

President, Association for Canadian Studies

August 2018

Exclusive to the Gazette

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1. Introduction

In Max Weber’s 1905 classic “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” he generates a series of essays that were once regarded as the founding texts in the field of sociology. Weber wrote that capitalism in Northern Europe evolved when the Protestant (particularly Calvinist) ethic and influenced important numbers of people to work in the secular world, developing their own enterprises and engaging in trade and the accumulation of wealth for investment. Evoking the Protestant work ethnic to explain the disproportionate presence of ethnically British Protestant elites in the upper echelons of the economy persisted well into the 20th century. For more than 100 years, the "Protestant work ethic" has been challenged by economic studies, criticized by theologians and undercut by historical documents. But it nonetheless persists. And as one observer put it “…it's nice to feel superior to others or to put a spiritual spin on Labor Day by saying your Protestant work ethic justifies sending late-night emails and going in to the office on the weekend.”

Weber was particularly interested in Calvin's theological claims. Therefore in his essay "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism," he wrote that the idea of predestination influenced people to pursue success at work because they viewed wealth as a proxy for God's favor. He credited Calvin and other reformers of the earlier period with contributing to the philosophy underlying capitalism.

Some point out that the ethos of capitalism predated Protestantism by a long time in “Catholic” northern Italy. But despite considerable evidence to the contrary, for much of the twentieth century, the idea of an enhanced or superior work ethnic became associated with Protestantism.

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2. Weber and

Historically, Canada remained a good testing ground for the “work ethic” as it was largely populated during Weber’s lifetime but Protestants and Catholics. Indeed it was widely argued that in the Canada of the 19th and much of the twentieth century (until the 1960’s) that French Catholics lacked entrepreneurial spirit and hence this explained and for some justified the British Protestant dominance of the Canadian economy.

Of course like many theories, the idea of a Protestant work ethic and the views of its author need to be placed within their historic context. The idea is a product of the state of economic and social thought of the late 19th and early 20th century Germany. It significantly predates the advent of multicultural societies where the varying condition of the multitude of ethnic groups (as many as 300 in Canada) belie the attribution of distinct attributes to a single group.

3. Multiculturalism

With evolving immigration and multiculturalism, the idea of the Protestant work ethic was increasingly challenged by economists and sociologists. But if there is one thing that deals the most powerful to this way outdated theory it’s the contemporary data that is generated by Statistics Canada on the economic performance of ethnic groups. Canada’s Multiculturalism Act calls on federal institutions to “collect statistical data in order to enable the development of policies, programs and practices that are sensitive and responsive to the multicultural reality of Canada”. However, there is no universal agreement as to the definition of ethnicity and as such attempts to measure the numbers of persons by their ethnic origin(s) are often accompanied by less than perfect systems of classification. There is often an arbitrary or improvised character to the measurement of ethnic origin(s) which can render policy-making somewhat problematic if it is based upon the collection of such data. Ethnic identity intersects with various other markers of identity (ancestry, heritage [generally associated with place of birth], language, ‘race’ and

3 religion) and analysts often make connections with such markers of identity when explaining the characteristics of ethnic belonging.

In general many observers believe that ethnic identity is neither intense nor frequent and it often is often gets expressed through symbolism. Yet others counter that ethnic identity tells you who you are and what makes you different from others. A renewed interest amongst baby boomers in tracing their ancestry is just one of the many ways that ethnic identities captures public attention. While many observers insist that acculturation and assimilation continue to take place in immigrant receiving societies, others point to the persistence of ethnic identities. But, in the public domain it remains relatively common to hear talk about characteristics that are particular to certain ethnic groups (i.e. some are more entrepreneurial, some more family oriented and some more educated, etc.). Generalizations associated with ethnicity and culture can be at one and the same time the object of pride and prejudice and data on ethnic origins can give rise to both. Groups that perform well economically can be accused of exploitation while those that do less well can be accused of not pulling their weight.

Data on ethnic origins it has the ability to both undercut generalizations and to reinforce them. We provide several examples from the 2016 census below for where such generalizations risk reinforcement or debunking that often depends on how we interpret such findings and to what the results get attributed.

4. Self-Employment: is there Korean work ethic? , Jews and Swiss most likely to be self-employed; British Protestants way off the top of the list

Looking at Statistics Canada’s 2016 data on ethnic origins and self-employment has the British Protestants well down the list (that group is found amongst those saying they are ethnically English, Scottish and partly in the group declaring Canadian as ethnicity) as well as those of identifying as ethnically German. At the top of the list are Koreans, Jews and Swiss when considering the overall results.

4 Table 1

Total Real 2016 Self-Employed Number Total Men Women Total - Ethnic origin 18268120 12.0 14.4 9.4 Korean 95050 21.1 22.9 19.3 Jewish 75450 0.209145 0.245821 0.166068 Swiss 84070 0.187582 0.212829 0.160297 Taiwanese 16970 0.164702 0.193588 0.13834 Israeli 14175 0.191534 0.237179 0.135793 Russian 345500 0.161548 0.190843 0.132021 Czech 55750 0.150493 0.173267 0.127048 Moroccan 46705 0.145595 0.159533 0.126775 South African 22505 0.148634 0.16835 0.126588 Lithuanian 32565 0.16444 0.20415 0.124266 American 195190 0.139864 0.155191 0.123951 Austrian 114455 0.147569 0.171399 0.122992 Iranian 108840 0.18371 0.233314 0.121707 Latvian 16645 0.148994 0.177313 0.119782 Norwegian 251555 0.141321 0.165964 0.116661 Turk 29745 0.178854 0.224148 0.116158 Syrian 27250 0.170092 0.212488 0.115851 Armenian 32820 0.176417 0.230129 0.115622 Northern European origins, n.i.e. 29500 0.138814 0.158341 0.115611 Swedish 187695 0.13735 0.16061 0.115418 Dutch 599195 0.13907 0.162228 0.11424 Danish 111280 0.138929 0.163638 0.113871 Vietnamese 126835 0.120629 0.127795 0.113507 Australian 23245 0.124113 0.134924 0.110846 Egyptian 46535 0.153648 0.18553 0.110013 German 1807030 0.132878 0.154719 0.109835 Belgian 101890 0.13441 0.158515 0.109539 Polish 614760 0.141511 0.173825 0.108984 Japanese 58050 0.116107 0.125192 0.108736 Hungarian 185330 0.136028 0.164203 0.107626 Chinese 871720 0.130329 0.153497 0.107571 Welsh 262755 0.123138 0.139617 0.107198 Pakistani 90490 0.163941 0.196683 0.106806 Bulgarian 19870 0.148213 0.188922 0.105533 Romanian 136300 0.140536 0.175958 0.10507 Slovak 37885 0.133562 0.163723 0.103066 Lebanese 107955 0.171738 0.224781 0.102791

5 English 3355025 0.121208 0.140838 0.100763 Brazilian 19270 0.113389 0.127075 0.100156 Palestinian 18305 0.161158 0.198253 0.1 Mexican 62685 0.110473 0.119403 0.099827 Greek 135160 0.146493 0.188019 0.099575 Algerian 28500 0.114912 0.125828 0.099243 Québécois 101900 0.113592 0.127511 0.097594 Ukrainian 753030 0.124776 0.151051 0.097486 Scottish 2613570 0.116787 0.136376 0.096878 Icelandic 56015 0.123271 0.150646 0.095804 Slovenian 21380 0.124883 0.152025 0.095673 Yugoslavian, n.o.s. 22300 0.119955 0.145346 0.095656 Irish 2510195 0.112326 0.130843 0.094452 Finnish 75190 0.112249 0.130295 0.094362 French 2483550 0.111482 0.128302 0.094187 Iraqi 25865 0.154069 0.195388 0.091175 Colombian 50435 0.101219 0.111729 0.090729 Latin, Central and South American origins, n.i.e. 14925 0.095142 0.099871 0.090084 Croatian 70140 0.127887 0.162575 0.089904 Spanish 220790 0.10168 0.118496 0.086201 Serbian 53825 0.138504 0.185465 0.08599 Canadian 5843120 0.105194 0.123727 0.085263 Cambodian (Khmer) 19700 0.08934 0.094854 0.083759 Maltese 21505 0.106487 0.126836 0.083739 Acadian 65645 0.098256 0.115361 0.08142 Berber 17170 0.089983 0.096461 0.080963 Chilean 22605 0.101969 0.122308 0.080491 Cuban 14485 0.106317 0.13338 0.079127 Italian 842945 0.114207 0.146908 0.078744 South Asian origins, n.i.e. 36390 0.120638 0.150746 0.077722 Métis 308565 0.092331 0.107241 0.077609 Macedonian 22330 0.11957 0.158323 0.077031 East Indian 731085 0.124144 0.162868 0.076359 Peruvian 21840 0.088141 0.101944 0.076174 Punjabi 59180 0.157993 0.221862 0.072346 Portuguese 250240 0.09323 0.11279 0.071731 (North American Indian) 663560 0.081115 0.092244 0.070571 Black, n.o.s. 14355 0.088123 0.10855 0.070118 Other African origins, n.i.e. 103535 0.088038 0.105658 0.069793 Caribbean origins, n.i.e. 14010 0.09065 0.116743 0.068045 Nigerian 24040 0.090058 0.109345 0.066482

6 Barbadian 19145 0.084095 0.105149 0.06502 Bangladeshi 21730 0.092499 0.112265 0.06361 Salvadorean 34855 0.080476 0.09538 0.063609 Albanian 18425 0.151425 0.223814 0.063253 Afghan 33965 0.135875 0.184525 0.062291 Trinidadian/Tobagonian 40240 0.081635 0.103404 0.060812 Tamil 23740 0.101306 0.131 0.060223 Somali 20670 0.080552 0.102252 0.055381 Haitian 80585 0.078613 0.105893 0.055268 Guyanese 44680 0.07509 0.097362 0.054803 Sri Lankan 77415 0.082413 0.105275 0.054093 Congolese 15850 0.066246 0.077292 0.053964 West Indian, n.o.s. 37450 0.077837 0.106463 0.052919 Ethiopian 21370 0.102012 0.148889 0.049407 Ghanaian 18530 0.072315 0.09563 0.045997 Jamaican 154280 0.072693 0.103182 0.045658 32390 0.047854 0.053902 0.041971 Filipino 503640 0.0371 0.038026 0.036391

Source: Statistics Canada, special tabulations, Census of Canada, 2016, Total labour force aged 15 years and over by class of worker - 25% sample data

As age plays an important role in rates of self-employment when looking at the group between the ages of 45 and 54, those declaring they’re ethnically Korean remain on top of the list of most self-employed group in the country at nearly 30% well above the national average of approximately 14% in that age group. Israeli and Taiwanese are next on the list, each with 28%.

7 Table 2

Canada 2016 aged 45- Self- 54 Total Number employed Totsl Male Female

Total - Ethnic origin 4259595 593520 13.9 16.9 10.7 Korean 22395 6665 29.7 0.31108 0.285099 Israeli 2350 675 0.287234 0.344444 0.21 Taiwanese 2760 780 0.282609 0.31405 0.26045 Iranian 25475 6290 0.246909 0.305754 0.166821 Jewish 15210 3735 0.245562 0.275399 0.213947 Lebanese 24010 5735 0.238859 0.320485 0.124562 Turk 6295 1480 0.235107 0.285714 0.158513 Pakistani 19070 4480 0.234924 0.277235 0.148444 Syrian 5540 1295 0.233755 0.308176 0.133475 Afghan 5345 1180 0.220767 0.300448 0.0875 Armenian 7015 1520 0.216679 0.285912 0.143068 Palestinian 3710 800 0.215633 0.261224 0.130952 Punjabi 10715 2290 0.213719 0.294548 0.105148 Egyptian 9480 1995 0.210443 0.261023 0.133858 Swiss 17290 3615 0.20908 0.237347 0.180564 South African 4710 960 0.203822 0.244161 0.163482 Iraqi 5710 1110 0.194396 0.240506 0.12065 Arab, n.o.s. 10295 1965 0.190869 0.216691 0.139971 Moroccan 11100 2080 0.187387 0.196198 0.176796 Russian 72570 13580 0.18713 0.224636 0.152188 Lithuanian 6405 1190 0.185792 0.235294 0.138037 Czech 11010 2000 0.181653 0.199091 0.164396 Bulgarian 5325 965 0.181221 0.235514 0.126654 Australian 3860 685 0.177461 0.201044 0.151282 Dutch 122545 21655 0.176711 0.211094 0.141989 Greek 33170 5825 0.17561 0.227144 0.116929 Czechoslovakian, n.o.s. 5525 930 0.168326 0.198058 0.140917 Croatian 16645 2785 0.167318 0.218023 0.113184 Chinese 224290 37330 0.166436 0.196019 0.138086 Polish 124190 20640 0.166197 0.206905 0.127586 Other European origins, n.i.e. 7885 1305 0.165504 0.20341 0.124339 East Indian 145270 23915 0.164624 0.217669 0.101478 Danish 24570 4035 0.164225 0.1976 0.134109 Brazilian 3115 510 0.163724 0.182119 0.149533 Austrian 25635 4185 0.163253 0.183922 0.142802

8 Northern European origins, n.i.e. 6035 985 0.163215 0.176752 0.148532 Norwegian 53145 8595 0.161727 0.193354 0.131886 Slovenian 5355 865 0.161531 0.198874 0.126394 Belgian 21805 3495 0.160284 0.192619 0.127162 American 39245 6225 0.158619 0.174883 0.142893 Hungarian 41660 6590 0.158185 0.189659 0.12797 German 390335 61675 0.158005 0.187331 0.129019 Serbian 13765 2160 0.15692 0.211359 0.102131 Vietnamese 29710 4655 0.156681 0.163613 0.148711 Romanian 33555 5255 0.156609 0.199822 0.113371 South Asian origins, n.i.e. 8265 1280 0.15487 0.201621 0.085586 Albanian 3955 610 0.154235 0.230404 0.064865 Swedish 40295 6205 0.153989 0.18177 0.129891 British Isles origins, n.i.e. 80785 12340 0.152751 0.180709 0.127929 Ethiopian 5830 890 0.152659 0.221198 0.066148 Ukrainian 157455 23825 0.151313 0.185636 0.116737 Cambodian (Khmer) 3345 505 0.150972 0.16156 0.141935 Slovak 8210 1235 0.150426 0.182266 0.119277 Icelandic 11280 1690 0.149823 0.178506 0.121867 Latvian 3090 460 0.148867 0.16955 0.136364 Nigerian 5015 730 0.145563 0.177172 0.098558 Macedonian 5125 745 0.145366 0.198556 0.080851 Colombian 10990 1595 0.145132 0.151978 0.137994 Algerian 8455 1205 0.142519 0.146503 0.135861 Mexican 11460 1630 0.142234 0.147639 0.136767 Cuban 3130 445 0.142173 0.184971 0.085714 Italian 193190 27425 0.141959 0.184626 0.096754 Somali 4305 610 0.141696 0.211165 0.080178 Latin, Central and South American origins, n.i.e. 3155 445 0.141046 0.144201 0.144231 Maltese 4605 635 0.137894 0.162218 0.108295 Welsh 56540 7780 0.137602 0.160447 0.117764 Tamil 5635 775 0.137533 0.199074 0.05625 Japanese 12860 1765 0.137247 0.153916 0.124068 Bangladeshi 5395 740 0.137164 0.153738 0.105691 Yugoslavian, n.o.s. 5360 725 0.135261 0.160156 0.114286 Québécois 21260 2865 0.13476 0.160305 0.106667 Chilean 4015 540 0.134496 0.157635 0.110831

9 English 736850 98665 0.133901 0.156801 0.111537 Scottish 569720 75690 0.132855 0.156933 0.109796 Irish 536360 69655 0.129866 0.152711 0.10944 French 553700 71875 0.129809 0.151781 0.108163 Caribbean origins, n.i.e. 3140 405 0.128981 0.170648 0.092537 Finnish 16245 2095 0.128963 0.150032 0.10972 Peruvian 4370 560 0.128146 0.140436 0.117137 Canadian 1311670 164850 0.125679 0.151632 0.099335 Spanish 50100 6240 0.124551 0.151088 0.101425 Trinidadian/Tobagonian 7545 935 0.123923 0.163293 0.085938 Portuguese 56565 6885 0.121718 0.149924 0.090926 Salvadorean 6360 770 0.121069 0.135294 0.104553 Acadian 14410 1680 0.116586 0.145789 0.088556 Other African origins, n.i.e. 22485 2595 0.11541 0.13606 0.091429 Barbadian 4130 470 0.113801 0.148541 0.084821 Métis 65930 7385 0.112013 0.135585 0.089214 Black, n.o.s. 3425 370 0.108029 0.138264 0.085561 Sri Lankan 19415 2065 0.106361 0.145843 0.06018 Berber 5215 545 0.104506 0.108696 0.093484 Guyanese 9235 915 0.09908 0.138826 0.06237 Haitian 16185 1585 0.09793 0.141232 0.060206 First Nations (North American Indian) 146690 14210 0.096871 0.113213 0.081828 Jamaican 35370 3410 0.096409 0.141314 0.058164 West Indian, n.o.s. 9190 850 0.092492 0.141414 0.055396 Ghanaian 3555 260 0.073136 0.102894 0.0525 Congolese 3465 240 0.069264 0.07455 0.062706 Inuit 6745 355 0.052632 0.067976 0.039301 Filipino 116405 5040 0.043297 0.042917 0.043481

Source: Statistics Canada, special tabulations, Census of Canada, 2016, Total labour force aged 15 years and over by class of worker - 25% sample data

10 5. Immigration not necessarily the issue when it comes to self- employment

In general immigrants are more likely to be self-employed than non-immigrants but age does play a factor in explaining some of the gap. In effect, when controlling for age, the gap is reduced between immigrants and non-immigrants when examining the respective ratios of self- employed.

Table 3

Self- 25-54 55-64 Canada 2016 Total employed Total Total - Immigrant status and period of immigration 18672470 2194440 11.7 11 17 Non-immigrants 13953340 1554195 11.1 10.5 16.6 Immigrants 4449245 626720 14.1 12.8 18 Before 1980 682700 142375 20.8 14.6 18.7 1980 to 1990 702115 112470 16 14.1 18 1991 to 2000 1077140 153085 14.2 13.9 18 2001 to 2010 1317900 163645 12.4 13 16.9 2001 to 2005 647280 87085 13.4 14.3 18.2 2006 to 2010 670620 76565 11.4 12.2 15.3 2011 to 2016 669390 55145 8.2 8.4 13.6

Source: Statistics Canada, special tabulations, Census of Canada, 2016, Total labour force aged 15 years and over by class of worker - 25% sample data

11 6. Self-Employed: Not born that way

As mentioned above age plays an important role in self-employment. As the table below reveals, the tendency to be self-employed rises with age and hence so it would be difficult to maintain that some groups are genetically predisposed to self-employment. While not explored here the inclination towards self-employment is likely attributable the experience, skills and education of an important segment of a given group lend themselves to trades and industries that more in line with self-employment. In the table below we note that the 25-34 cohort has relatively low rates of self-employment whereas the highest share is amongst those persons over the age of 75 who are very often required to pursue self-employment if they still wish to work at that stage of their lives. We selected the 45-54 group as the benchmark for ranking levels of self-employment amongst Canada’s ethnic groups. When controlling for age, the ethnically Korean population remains the most likely to be self-employed with Israelis 2nd on the list.

Table 4

Geography: Canada self – 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75 and employed 2016 25-34 over Total - Ethnic origin 7.5 11.7 14.1 17.2 30.2 47.9 Korean 0.076249 0.176404 0.305594 0.473015 0.544236 0.589744 Israeli 0.130102 20 0.292208 0.340741 0.327273 60 Taiwanese 0.09809 0.190307 0.288889 0.291667 0.319149 0.333333 Iranian 0.101103 0.170385 0.256525 0.309116 0.411867 0.4375 Jewish 0.135807 0.183061 0.248338 0.278713 0.381993 0.568807 Turk 0.129994 0.206132 0.246872 0.242947 0.330935 0.478261 Lebanese 0.111174 0.190683 0.246032 0.292762 0.366972 0.458333 Syrian 0.116893 0.171733 0.244802 0.259259 0.401235 0.722222 Pakistani 0.105639 0.19598 0.242097 0.26797 0.302013 0.416667 Afghan 0.107749 0.193329 0.231827 0.215457 0.25 0 Armenian 0.105548 0.158455 0.225519 0.27027 0.410169 0.54386 Palestinian 0.10307 0.180626 0.224719 0.321918 0.409639 0.545455 Egyptian 0.098031 0.147851 0.22032 0.257065 0.308917 0.34375 Punjabi 0.128982 0.203184 0.216548 0.191203 0.223077 0.21875 Swiss 0.117647 0.18831 0.211157 0.270071 0.438799 0.564286

12 Iraqi 0.105685 0.18717 0.20632 0.248162 0.285714 0.5625 South African 0.105166 0.142714 0.205348 0.241636 0.427536 0.545455 Arab, n.o.s. 0.092944 0.15765 0.202577 0.239716 0.282759 0.533333 Moroccan 0.103478 0.147979 0.195949 0.212329 0.365714 0.565217 Russian 0.109479 0.161961 0.189572 0.237713 0.380579 0.493902 Lithuanian 0.099644 0.150338 0.18844 0.228689 0.380048 0.506329 Bulgarian 0.097497 0.147913 0.185399 0.198459 0.326316 0.692308 Czech 0.088321 0.16274 0.183402 0.23156 0.406926 0.586207 Greek 0.085279 0.135366 0.178681 0.239744 0.397516 0.502646 Dutch 0.088093 0.142339 0.178223 0.224615 0.360715 0.526316 Australian 0.078717 0.144301 0.178153 0.227373 0.344538 0.8 Chinese 0.085946 0.137452 0.170359 0.17791 0.275776 0.5 Czechoslovakian, n.o.s. 0.075029 0.137179 0.170174 0.202067 0.354839 0.685714 Croatian 0.083036 0.135588 0.169817 0.177604 0.334884 0.510638 Brazilian 0.09168 0.120567 0.168874 0.195833 0.447368 0 Other European origins, n.i.e. 0.089163 0.145968 0.168605 0.199557 0.361607 0.551724 Polish 0.08555 0.140421 0.16814 0.206696 0.358979 0.512635 East Indian 0.081718 0.145901 0.167572 0.17101 0.247156 0.412351 Danish 0.087933 0.136018 0.16646 0.203195 0.375901 0.527027 Northern European origins, n.i.e. 0.081577 0.147791 0.165965 0.22057 0.417778 0.571429 Austrian 0.088847 0.142579 0.165089 0.219417 0.384831 0.571429 Slovenian 0.070215 0.132979 0.163671 0.184783 0.351563 0.444444 Norwegian 0.083443 0.143955 0.163356 0.217848 0.371139 0.564516 Belgian 0.083071 0.134759 0.161993 0.20995 0.382632 0.59 American 0.085445 0.139007 0.160687 0.198501 0.360731 0.518657 Vietnamese 0.084214 0.157488 0.160379 0.151823 0.207792 0.692308 Hungarian 0.082751 0.145239 0.160341 0.207438 0.374903 0.548638 German 0.08335 0.133703 0.15966 0.201539 0.3538 0.549958 Serbian 0.092648 0.154116 0.159116 0.210238 0.288591 0.5 Romanian 0.090943 0.139064 0.158953 0.190608 0.352483 0.506024 South Asian origins, n.i.e. 0.093148 0.133199 0.15822 0.164575 0.244604 0.333333 Albanian 0.150276 0.21134 0.158031 0.149289 0.214286 0.6 Ethiopian 0.056128 0.093851 0.157801 0.200514 0.133333 0 Swedish 0.083631 0.136658 0.155728 0.202456 0.358989 0.593496 Somali 0.030796 0.095816 0.155216 0.213296 0.166667 0 Cambodian (Khmer) 0.06085 0.098446 0.154671 0.123162 0.071429 0.666667 British Isles origins, n.i.e. 0.073445 0.121635 0.15453 0.183668 0.324413 0.486692 Ukrainian 0.083808 0.127926 0.15293 0.189723 0.322821 0.523022 Slovak 0.071384 0.146983 0.152563 0.188062 0.386207 0.578125 Algerian 0.080687 0.116213 0.151192 0.157563 0.2 0.5 Icelandic 0.073987 0.131602 0.15096 0.195409 0.355769 0.522727

13 Nigerian 0.04341 0.100666 0.150826 0.2 0.276923 0.4 Latvian 0.088972 0.138889 0.15082 0.231481 0.369048 0.542857 Colombian 0.079204 0.099722 0.148857 0.15812 0.177419 0.5 Macedonian 0.071806 0.118497 0.148111 0.18927 0.302521 0.608696 Cuban 0.079408 0.122989 0.146623 0.166667 0.15625 0 Mexican 0.095485 0.131276 0.145666 0.165318 0.248408 0.125 Italian 0.07269 0.122732 0.143707 0.179028 0.313489 0.477304 Latin, Central and South American origins, n.i.e. 0.05814 0.09715 0.143548 0.140449 0.194444 1 Bangladeshi 0.043243 0.082516 0.141627 0.201493 0.2 #DIV/0! Tamil 0.073308 0.116398 0.140909 0.112593 0.12782 0.5 Maltese 0.078922 0.108768 0.139254 0.193043 0.230088 0.2 Welsh 0.074519 0.118345 0.138966 0.18006 0.319429 0.482428 Japanese 0.076368 0.12356 0.138922 0.184638 0.312207 0.442623 Québécois 0.084206 0.132265 0.137774 0.174761 0.306554 0.33871 Yugoslavian, n.o.s. 0.07033 0.1262 0.137311 0.175915 0.325153 0.526316 Chilean 0.068468 0.105116 0.136536 0.16041 0.282895 0.307692 English 0.071048 0.111465 0.135421 0.178133 0.314797 0.495002 Scottish 0.069846 0.112489 0.134332 0.176951 0.315143 0.487101 Caribbean origins, n.i.e. 0.055814 0.101551 0.131707 0.130573 0.164706 0.222222 Irish 0.067862 0.110931 0.13151 0.170574 0.310598 0.48764 French 0.072738 0.111988 0.131453 0.164143 0.301497 0.461696 Peruvian 0.074405 0.07645 0.131301 0.128015 0.213675 0.5 Finnish 0.077151 0.118678 0.130652 0.164179 0.342256 0.493151 Canadian 0.072105 0.108917 0.127173 0.153217 0.279817 0.429879 Spanish 0.069993 0.101421 0.126984 0.154939 0.253333 0.352941 Trinidadian/Tobagonian 0.059183 0.086086 0.126437 0.107948 0.17623 0.322581 Salvadorean 0.060943 0.087819 0.125 0.109529 0.222222 0.5 Portuguese 0.060549 0.098538 0.12352 0.148988 0.232465 0.42623 Other African origins, n.i.e. 0.056934 0.094566 0.118791 0.132717 0.201309 0.339623 Acadian 0.068813 0.107276 0.117688 0.141818 0.28012 0.428571 Barbadian 0.061728 0.100802 0.115055 0.102041 0.187919 0.208333 Métis 0.071539 0.104162 0.114072 0.143612 0.253444 0.485981 Black, n.o.s. 0.055649 0.102073 0.111446 0.119617 0.154545 0.2 Berber 0.062706 0.086207 0.109438 0.135849 0.341463 0 Sri Lankan 0.052707 0.102526 0.109029 0.104263 0.141243 0.347826 Haitian 0.062167 0.073596 0.101149 0.119837 0.243842 0.5 Guyanese 0.057466 0.084772 0.100993 0.109316 0.168224 0.388889 First Nations (North American Indian) 0.059475 0.087734 0.100004 0.126293 0.218164 0.359712 Jamaican 0.053208 0.082527 0.09837 0.096748 0.146754 0.25 West Indian, n.o.s. 0.052949 0.084634 0.095291 0.116698 0.150183 0.142857

14 Ghanaian 0.038 0.095238 0.075362 0.1376 0.209302 0.5 Congolese 0.066095 0.083004 0.07396 0.07393 0.137931 #DIV/0! Inuit 0.033771 0.056196 0.055556 0.085799 0.156463 0.25 Filipino 0.027109 0.03633 0.043686 0.059335 0.096126 0.242857

Source: Statistics Canada, special tabulations, Census of Canada, 2016, Total labour force aged 15 years and over by class of worker - 25% sample data

7. ’s Self-Employed: More than one in four Syrians report self-employed when is considered

When it comes to Quebec’s self-employed the groups shift somewhat with the pattern exhibited for Canada on the whole. As seen in the Table below amongst those between the ages of 45 and 54 it is Punjabi that are most likely to be self-employed followed by Australian. Ethnically Korean are in 4th spot with Jews ending up 12th. The more recently arrived Syrian group arrives within the top ten.

Table 5

Total labour force aged 15 years and over by class of 45 to 54 years Québec worker - 25% 2016 sample data Self-employed Total - Ethnic origin 980415 136590 0.139319 Punjabi 225 80 0.355556 Australian 190 55 0.289474 Iranian 2135 615 0.288056 Korean 650 185 0.284615 Israeli 425 110 0.258824 Ethiopian 155 40 0.258065 Czech 625 160 0.256 Syrian 2425 620 0.25567 Lebanese 8970 2235 0.249164

15 Pakistani 940 230 0.244681 Turk 1270 310 0.244094 Jewish 2300 540 0.234783 Swiss 2710 620 0.228782 Latvian 175 40 0.228571 Chinese 14535 3310 0.227726 Taiwanese 135 30 0.222222 Palestinian 505 110 0.217822 Lithuanian 690 150 0.217391 Austrian 1430 310 0.216783 South African 70 15 0.214286 Russian 5850 1215 0.207692 Vietnamese 4830 985 0.203934 Polish 7625 1550 0.203279 Armenian 2760 550 0.199275 Dutch 2725 540 0.198165 Cambodian (Khmer) 1370 265 0.193431 Icelandic 105 20 0.190476 Danish 730 135 0.184932 Afghan 770 140 0.181818 Arab, n.o.s. 4890 885 0.180982 Moroccan 9190 1635 0.177911 East Indian 4880 865 0.177254 Croatian 850 150 0.176471 British Isles origins, n.i.e. 3690 650 0.176152 Latin, Central and South American origins, n.i.e. 630 110 0.174603 Slovenian 345 60 0.173913 Egyptian 2560 445 0.173828 Hungarian 2935 510 0.173765 Other European origins, n.i.e. 1090 185 0.169725 Finnish 300 50 0.166667 Macedonian 120 20 0.166667 Ghanaian 240 40 0.166667 Belgian 5530 915 0.165461 Slovak 515 85 0.165049 American 4665 765 0.163987 Nigerian 245 40 0.163265 Czechoslovakian, n.o.s. 245 40 0.163265 Swedish 770 125 0.162338 Greek 9055 1455 0.160685

16 Welsh 1160 185 0.159483 Ukrainian 4570 720 0.157549 German 15860 2490 0.156999 Romanian 7560 1155 0.152778 Colombian 2975 450 0.151261 Spanish 9730 1470 0.151079 Albanian 435 65 0.149425 Trinidadian/Tobagonian 605 90 0.14876 Yugoslavian, n.o.s. 405 60 0.148148 Scottish 23870 3505 0.146837 Salvadorean 1670 245 0.146707 Italian 40765 5940 0.145713 English 24360 3475 0.142652 Algerian 7645 1085 0.141923 French 221970 30605 0.137879 Bulgarian 1345 185 0.137546 Irish 50150 6880 0.137188 Québécois 19890 2660 0.133736 Chilean 1200 160 0.133333 Canadian 581660 77485 0.133214 Acadian 3985 530 0.132999 Peruvian 2060 270 0.131068 Norwegian 725 95 0.131034 Serbian 845 110 0.130178 First Nations (North American Indian) 29840 3780 0.126676 Japanese 555 70 0.126126 Bangladeshi 555 70 0.126126 Maltese 120 15 0.125 Mexican 2335 280 0.119914 Jamaican 1380 165 0.119565 Iraqi 460 55 0.119565 Caribbean origins, n.i.e. 505 60 0.118812 Cuban 920 105 0.11413 Métis 7440 840 0.112903 Portuguese 7995 900 0.11257 Other African origins, n.i.e. 4540 490 0.10793 Haitian 13890 1445 0.104032 Berber 4720 485 0.102754 Brazilian 595 60 0.10084 West Indian, n.o.s. 610 60 0.098361

17 Tamil 305 30 0.098361 Barbadian 625 60 0.096 Sri Lankan 1635 155 0.094801 Black, n.o.s. 405 30 0.074074 Guyanese 350 25 0.071429 Filipino 5235 335 0.063992 Congolese 1775 95 0.053521 Inuit 1335 50 0.037453 Somali 155 0 0

Source: Statistics Canada, special tabulations, Census of Canada, 2016, Total labour force aged 15 years and over by class of worker - 25% sample data

When age is not taken into consideration it is the Jewish population that emerges as the group most likely to be self-employed in Quebec.

Table 6

All classes of Québec 2016 workers Employee Self-employed Total - Ethnic origin 4154010 3664920 489090 0.117739 Jewish 11780 9235 2545 0.216044 Iraqi 2070 1660 410 0.198068 Czech 3265 2620 645 0.19755 Syrian 11640 9350 2285 0.196306 Israeli 2705 2175 525 0.194085 Lebanese 37985 30870 7115 0.187311 Russian 28510 23170 5335 0.187127 Austrian 6265 5100 1165 0.185954 Punjabi 1455 1185 270 0.185567 South African 460 380 85 0.184783 Korean 3405 2795 615 0.180617 Icelandic 530 435 95 0.179245 Lithuanian 3465 2865 610 0.176046 Armenian 13640 11255 2385 0.174853 Palestinian 2825 2335 485 0.171681 Swiss 12985 10770 2220 0.170966

18 Iranian 11515 9555 1950 0.169344 Turk 6780 5640 1145 0.168879 Polish 41915 34960 6955 0.165931 Latvian 980 815 160 0.163265

Source: Statistics Canada, special tabulations, Census of Canada, 2016, Total labour force aged 15 years and over by class of worker - 25% sample data

8. Managing with ethnic origins: Korean, Lebanese and Israeli are most likely to be managers

As regards those ethnic groups that are in management occupations in Canada it is the ethnically Korean population that finds its way to the top of the list and in part confirms the link between self-employment and entrepreneurship. Other groups that are disproportionately self-employed are also found at the top of the list in management occupations (i.e. Lebanese and Israelis amongst others).

Table 7

Management Canada 2016 All occupations occupations Total - Ethnic origin 18268120 2013365 11.0 Korean 95045 15955 16.7 Lebanese 107955 16605 15.4 Israeli 14175 2145 15.1 Palestinian 18300 2715 14.8 Greek 135160 20025 0.148158 Swiss 84070 12285 0.146128 Australian 23250 3275 0.14086 Armenian 32820 4620 0.140768 South African 22505 3105 0.137969 Austrian 114450 15765 0.137746 Taiwanese 16965 2335 0.137636 Lithuanian 32560 4440 0.136364 Belgian 101895 13790 0.135335 Czechoslovakian 22860 3075 0.134514

19 Egyptian 46535 6195 0.133126 Slovenian 21385 2830 0.132336 Jewish 75455 9855 0.130608 Syrian 27250 3535 0.129725 Italian 842945 109325 0.129694 Dutch 599195 76325 0.127379 Macedonian 22330 2830 0.126735 American 195190 24605 0.126057 Norwegian 251555 31655 0.125837 Icelandic 56010 7005 0.125067 Danish 111280 13785 0.123877 Welsh 262760 32480 0.123611 Czech 55755 6890 0.123576 Swedish 187695 23135 0.123258 Iranian 108845 13390 0.123019 Maltese 21505 2625 0.122065 English 3355025 409465 0.122045 German 1807030 220280 0.121902 Slovak 37885 4605 0.121552 Scottish 2613570 317210 0.12137 Latvian 16640 2015 0.121094 Russian 345500 41745 0.120825 Turk 29740 3590 0.120713 Ukrainian 753035 89515 0.118872 Polish 614765 72920 0.118614 Irish 2510195 295480 0.117712 Croatian 70140 8190 0.116766 Hungarian 185330 21610 0.116603 Other European origins, n.i.e. 38070 4305 0.113081 Romanian 136305 15185 0.111405 Chinese 871720 97100 0.111389 Japanese 58050 6455 0.111197 French 2483550 272005 0.109523 Yugoslavian, n.o.s. 22300 2440 0.109417 Bulgarian 19870 2160 0.108707 Moroccan 46705 5070 0.108554 Finnish 75190 8150 0.108392 Pakistani 90490 9800 0.108299 Serbian 53825 5570 0.103484 Canadian 5843120 592200 0.10135 East Indian 731090 74020 0.101246

20 Portuguese 250235 25075 0.100206 Arab, n.o.s. 41710 4155 0.099616 Barbadian 19145 1880 0.098198 Trinidadian/Tobagonian 40235 3905 0.097055 Acadian 65645 6255 0.095285 Spanish 220785 20990 0.09507 Brazilian 19275 1780 0.092348 Iraqi 25870 2350 0.090839 Guyanese 44685 4015 0.089851 South Asian origins, n.i.e. 36390 3235 0.088898 Albanian 18420 1630 0.088491 Mexican 62685 5490 0.087581 Métis 308560 26780 0.08679 Québécois 101905 8765 0.086011 Bangladeshi 21725 1845 0.084925 West Indian, n.o.s. 37450 3155 0.084246 First Nations (North American Indian) 663560 53420 0.080505 Afghan 33970 2730 0.080365 Tamil 23740 1895 0.079823 Sri Lankan 77420 6155 0.079501 Caribbean origins, n.i.e. 14005 1110 0.079257 Chilean 22605 1755 0.077638 Peruvian 21840 1695 0.07761 Punjabi 59185 4590 0.077553 Latin, Central and South American origins, n.i.e. 14925 1095 0.073367 Colombian 50435 3665 0.072668 Vietnamese 126835 9125 0.071944 Black, n.o.s. 14350 1030 0.071777 Algerian 28505 1985 0.069637 Cuban 14490 985 0.067978 Other African origins, n.i.e. 103535 6960 0.067224 Inuit 32395 2175 0.06714 Jamaican 154280 10350 0.067086 Nigerian 24040 1440 0.0599 Cambodian (Khmer) 19700 1145 0.058122 Berber 17165 980 0.057093 Salvadorean 34855 1920 0.055085 Ghanaian 18530 905 0.04884 Filipino 503640 23335 0.046333 Ethiopian 21370 835 0.039073 Haitian 80585 2970 0.036855

21 Congolese 15850 560 0.035331 Somali 20670 675 0.032656

Source: Statistics Canada, special tabulations, Census of Canada, 2016, Total labour force aged 15 years and over by class of worker - 25% sample data

9. Racialisation and self-employment: Korean score much higher than others

When visible minority status is used to rank self-employment rather than ethnic origin, the

Korean group is also found at the top of the list.

Table 8

All classes of Canada 2016 workers Employee Self-employed Total - Visible minority 18268125 16073680 2194440 12 Korean 92205 72440 19765 21.4 West Asian 131205 108690 22520 17 Arab 216840 182715 34130 15.7 Chinese 767495 661555 105940 13.8 Japanese 46045 40245 5800 12.6 South Asian 979680 857805 121870 12.4 Not a visible minority 14371790 12609505 1762290 12.2 Southeast Asian 168200 149565 18630 11 Latin American 265235 238355 26880 10.1 Total visible minority population 3896330 3464180 432150 11.1 Black 578525 534795 43735 7.5 Filipino 478770 461420 17355 3.6

22 10. Conclusion: Should we be talking about a Korean work ethic?

Given the popularity of the Weberian adage that success in Capitalist societies is connected to a

Protestant work ethic the current analyst might lead those inspired by the work of Weber to argue on the basis of the data that ethnically Korean Canadians possess a “Protestant work ethic”. But perhaps it is time to revisit this adage that was undoubtedly quite challenged over the 20th century and has not survived the test of time in the 21st. Maybe it’s time to speak about successful British and other Canadians exhibiting a Korean work ethnic?

23